


you started it

by Tomohisa



Series: one glance [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Second Person, glasses!hinata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:10:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5290136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomohisa/pseuds/Tomohisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hold the elevator!" You look up from your phone and see that annoying idiot from the tenth floor running frantically towards the doors.</p><p>Oh <i>hell</i> no, this was not happening on a Monday. <i>Not</i> today. Nope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Annoying Red-Head From The Tenth Floor

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "I saw you trying to hit the door close button in the elevator but I made it in and then I pushed every single button to make you later for work, but now we're stuck in this fucking elevator as it stops at every single floor and I dont know what to say other than you started it AU"
> 
> Wow, this fic practically wrote itself once I got going. Last-minute I decided to do this one from Kageyama's POV because I never get enough practice doing that. (I find him a lot more difficult to write than Hinata.) Also, second person POV because why not?
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

"Hold the elevator!" You look up from your phone and see that annoying idiot from the tenth floor running frantically towards the doors. _  
_

Oh _hell_ no, this was not happening on a Monday. _Not_ today. Nope.

You quickly shove your phone into your pocket and smack the close door button as hard as you can. You look up at the red-head again and see his face twisting as he suddenly speeds up to catch the doors. He gets one foot in between them just before they close, and you let out a small sigh of frustration.

He's panting heavily, half bent over, when he suddenly pulls himself up straight at points directly between your eyes. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

Your eyes narrow and you open your mouth to respond, but not before the tiny red-head has smacked the button for _every_ floor between here and yours.

The doors shut and you're left glaring at him, mouth ajar at his sheer stupidity. The elevator would take _forever_ now, and it was normally ridiculously slow anyway. You grab him by the front of his shirt. "What the _fuck_ -"

" _You_ started it!" His hands are grasping frantically at yours, trying to pull himself free, but his face is nothing but rage behind his glasses. "If you'd just held the doors open like a _normal_ person, I wouldn't have done anything!" He somehow manages to slip away from your grasp, and straightens up his shirt and tie before continuing. His hair still looks like an utter bird's nest, but you're almost sure that that is just its normal state of existence. "This is just divine retribution!"

You're left spluttering. " _Divine retribution?_ " The doors ding and open on the first floor and you feel your face contort into something awful. The red-head flinches back slightly. You pinch the bridge of your nose and close your eyes, and try breathing away your anger. 

"Why do you hate me so much anyway?" You open your eyes and see him staring at you openly. He adjusts his glasses nervously as you meet his eyes. "I can feel you trying to burn holes into my back every time I go down to the ninth floor..." he mutters, trailing off with a pout.

You feel yourself shuffling awkwardly, and have to avoid his gaze. It's not  _dislike_ , per se, but more of a general distaste towards his messy work ethic and the fact that he _still_ manages to get everything done on time. That, coupled with the fact that he's always loud as hell and just altogether too much for you to deal with without at least your morning coffee acting as a buffer.

Looking back at the red-head, you realise that you don't even know his name. He'd just become The Annoying Red-Head From The Tenth Floor.

"My name is Shouyou Hinata, by the way." Hinata is adjusting his cuffs of his sleeves. He doesn't have a suit jacket on, and the white shirt seems a little long in the arms for him. He sighs softly before rolling them up to his elbows. "Thanks for asking."

Guilt is beginning to gnaw at your stomach. Well, it's slightly offset by the sound of the second floor announcement and the reminder that Hinata  _is_ an annoying dumbass, but you decide to meet him halfway.

You hold out a hand towards him. "Tobio Kageyama."

He eyes you as though your hand is a trap, but takes it anyway with a polite, "Nice to meet you, Kageyama-san." He brightens slightly. "You're in sales, aren't you?" He bounces excitedly on the spot, before stopping to readjust his glasses. "I've always wanted to be in sales! But I'm stuck helping Suga-san at the moment..." Hinata flushes. "N- not that I don't enjoy working with Suga-san! But finances are a little..."

"...Boring." You finish for him.

He smiles at you sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck.  "Well, yeah." You notice that he's not actually as skinny as you first thought, and his biceps are fairly defined for an office worker. "Not that I do much of the desk work though - mostly I run things between floors, or carry deliveries from the entrance to the upper floors."

You glance down at his work slacks before remembering that his presumably well-muscled legs are covered, and grunt in acknowledgement. He does visit the ninth floor a lot, and he never seems to run out of energy. It makes sense that they have him running around all the time.

"I can't believe someone like you ended up in _sales_ though." He looks thoughtful, and you feel yourself getting offended already. "I mean, your face is pretty scary." You try to wipe the frown off your face before he notices, but he smiles and you just  _know_ he saw it. "I'm surprised you even have any customers."

"Oi!" One of your dark eyebrows twitches. "I'm good at my job! Iwaizumi-san never has to listen to any complaints from my customers!"

"I'm sure you are!" Hinata holds up his arms placatingly. "Otherwise I doubt you'd have _any_ customers." The last part is uttered so quietly you almost miss it.

The elevator announces the fourth floor - did you pass the third already? - and a loud voice interrupts both of you before anything else can be said.

"Ah! Shouyou!" An even smaller man was holding a large stack of papers in his arms. Was that dye in his hair? "Great timing! Could you take these to Suga-san?"

Hinata presses the hold doors open button and takes the stack. "No problem, Noya-senpai!" He beams like he was just given a medal of honour.

"Thanks, Shouyou." 'Noya-senpai' grins back just as fiercely. "I'd take them myself, but Ryuu and I need to head down to third to help Asahi with something. I'll see you later at practice!" He gives Hinata a double thumbs up as the doors slide shut.

You give the red-head a curious, sideways glance. He's twitching on his feet happily. The stack of papers seems pretty heavy but he barely seems to notice. "Practice?"

"Ah, yes!" Hinata shifts the stack to one arm and pushes his glasses back up. He really should get them adjusted. "I play volleyball with Noya-senpai and Tanaka-senpai after work on Mondays and Wednesdays!"

Volleyball. He plays _volleyball_. Of course he would. "What position do you play?" You try not to sound too interested.

"Middle blocker!" He puffs himself up, as though expecting you to mock him. "I may be small, but I can jump!"

"I'm sure." With the boundless energy he has around the office, you don't doubt it.

"Do you like volleyball, Kageyama-san?" Hinata sounds like he's holding himself back, but doesn't seem to notice that he's leaning into your space quite significantly.

"Yes." His enthusiasm is starting to rub off on you, and you find yourself talking more than usual. "I was a setter back in high school."

Hinata does a strange sort of half-jump before remembering the papers in his arms. He takes a few seconds to readjust both the stack and his glasses.

" _Uwaaa!_ " His voice is so loud it almost covers up the next floor announcement. "You should come practise with us, Kageyama-san!" His eyes are practically sparkling behind the frames. "We need a setter! Sometimes Suga-san helps out, but most of the time he's too busy. And it's _so hard_ to convince Kenma."

You blink a few times to hide your surprise. Just how many people in this building play volleyball? "I'll think about it."

That seems to appease Hinata greatly, and he spends the next couple of floors humming happily to himself, giving you time to think of how such a short person got interested volleyball. You almost laugh out loud as thought of Hinata as a libero pushes itself into your head. He is far too rambunctious for such an important role. Maybe Hinata as a middle blocker did make more sense, if his reflexes were good enough.

The eighth floor goes by without much notice from either of you. Suddenly, you start to feel the morning catch up on you and try to stifle a yawn, but it creeps up on you anyway. When you raise a hand to cover your mouth, Hinata notices.

"Did you not get enough sleep, Kageyama-san?" He sounds genuinely curious.

"I usually get coffee in the mornings. _Especially_ on the days when I have four hour long office meetings." You aim a glare at him, but nearly all of the anger behind it is gone, and he seems to realise that. He grins, unapologetic.

His glasses slip down his nose again, and you see him trying to shuffle the papers to one side again so he can fix them. Before he can complete the action though, you're already holding them by the sides and pushing them back in place for him.

Hinata looks up at you, more than slightly surprised, and you realise what you just did. His mouth is open slightly and his face is becoming redder by the second. You can feel a reciprocating blush creeping up the back of your neck and ears, but the door dings for your floor before it manages to reach your face.

You offer him the tiniest of bows and a muttered farewell before getting the fuck out of there.

You look back just before you turn the corner into your office, and he's still staring at you. The two of you make eye contact, and it's awkward, but something about it sets your pulse racing and you end up staring back until the doors shut.

Well. That was interesting.

"Kageyama!" A booming voice jerks you back to reality, away from thoughts of red hair and the muscles that come with regularly playing volleyball. "Where have you been? The meeting is starting! Get in here!" Iwaizumi's tone leaves no room for argument, and you quickly make your way into the room to appease him. 

After the meeting, you drag yourself back to your desk and collapse into your almost-comfortable chair. You were never quite enthused by Iwaizumi-san's choice to have meetings on a Monday morning, but at least it was better than late on a Friday night. The lack of caffeine had almost ruined you this morning though. It was now nearly one in the afternoon and you  _still_ hadn't had your 'morning' coffee. Maybe you would have had time if it wasn't for Hinata's antics in the elevator.

You allow yourself a frown at the thought, and rub a hand over your bleary eyes. When you open them again, that's when you notice it.

Sitting in front of your lowest stack of files is a steaming mug of coffee. You've never seen the mug before in your life, though you're sure you'll remember its garish design - a smattering of orange and purple flowers against a sky blue background. There's a note with it.

__I thought you might need this_  - black coffee, just how you like it (I asked around). Sorry about this morning._  _\- H_

_P.S. The mug is mine but you can just keep it!_

You take a sip of the coffee, and it's even better than your usual. Probably actual ground beans and not the usual instant crap you get out of the machines. Maybe Hinata was actually -

You notice that there was another note under the mug.

_P.P.S. Try not to scare off any more customers!_

You crumple both notes and throw them in the recycling.


	2. Tobio-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio breathes out like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I met him in the elevator just before Iwaizumi-san's quarterly meeting."
> 
> "Oh, how romantic!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone missed the note at the end of the first chapter - the POV will swap with each chapter until we end up with Hinata's in the final one.
> 
> I wasn't going to post this chapter for a while, but I quite like it so I'm going to put it up now so that I stop myself from tweaking it any more. As always, let me know what you guys think.

It's a chilly November evening in the office when you first know for sure that something is bothering Tobio - and you don't just mean the tall blond that's loitering around his desk at present.

Tobio's face is scrunched up with distaste, which makes your stomach flutter eagerly. Oh, how you love to watch your younger kouhai become distressed. If it's something you can become involved with, well, all the better.

You stand up from your desk to stretch and take the opportunity to copy some files - the copy machine fortuitously being only a few feet away from Tobio's work space. Anything that you may happen to overhear is, of course, purely coincidental.

With your back to the two of them, you load the first sheet and happen to catch most of a very intriguing conversation full of blatant innuendos and just plain blunt insults. Kei was never one for mincing his words, after all. Tobio's gruff responses only further your curiosity. What exactly are they talking about? You feel more than slightly slow on the uptake. Usually you're the first to pick up on anything that makes Tobio even the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Putting on your brightest smile, you gather up your finished copies and stride over confidently to Tobio's desk. "Yaho, Tobio-chan! Kei-chan!" The dip between Tobio's eyebrows increases and you can't help but feel satisfied. "What's going on over here? I do hope you guys aren't trying to skip out on work?"

"Oikawa-san." Tobio's greeting is the bare minimum.

"Ah, Oikawa-san," Kei has - for once - avoided commenting on your nickname for him and looks almost delighted by your presence. "I was just pointing out to Kageyama how happy he's looked since he got a new mug."

Tobio's face darkens considerably, but you're just baffled. You hide your surprise though, and play along. "Oh, is that so?" Your eyes dart towards Tobio's face, but he avoids your gaze.

"Yes, ever since he came across it back in October, he's been so _distracted_ by it that I'm almost beginning to worry about his productivity." You glance at Kei, and find him smiling almost demonically. "I think he particularly likes how small and orange it is. The overall effect is much too loud for my tastes though."

Oh. _Oh._ It clicks.

"How very interesting, Kei-chan." You rub your chin, thoughtfully. "Although, I can't help but wonder which one of you is being more productive, when I find you hovering around Tobio-chan's desk like this." You smile at him as his face carefully wipes to become unreadable.

With one final look at Tobio - who is still avoiding looking at either of you - he heads back to his own desk with a muttered, "Excuse me."

You wait until Kei has sat down again at the other side of the room before leaning a hand on Tobio's nearest shoulder excitedly. "Tobio-chan! You should have told me you were having relationship problems!"

Tobio looks absolutely mortified, and your stomach twists with delight. "I- I have no such problems, Oikawa-san!" he whispers furiously, as though the blush creeping up the back of his neck doesn’t give him away.

You roll your eyes so far you see the ceiling. Everyone in the building knows Hinata, and everyone knows just how much time he has spent on the ninth floor over the past month. What you hadn't figured out yet was _why_ , but Kei's not-so-subtle hints had cleared that up.

Grinning wickedly, you ignore Tobio's flustered protests and throw an arm around his neck casually. "Ah, my dear Tobio-chan," you pause to dramatically wipe an imaginary tear from one eye, "all grown up."

Tobio is almost shaking with repressed embarrassment, his face a deep red. You decide to take pity on him.

Moving back, you perch on the edge of his desk. "Ok." Your tone is flat, and he looks up at the change. "What's going on?" You cross your arms and tilt your head to one side. "Why am I not catching you two making out in empty offices and deserted corridors?"

He frowns, but it's only tinged with a little of his former embarrassment. "It's nothing. Tsukishima's just talking out of his ass."

"Now, now - don't _lie_ to me, Tobio-chan." He flinches at your tone. "Kei-chan might have a mean streak, but he's not a liar." You stare at him consideringly, watching him fidget until he caves.

Tobio breathes out like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I met him in the elevator just before Iwaizumi-san's quarterly meeting."

"Oh, how romantic!"

"Not really." He seems to have settled a little now, and leans back in his seat. He's picking at his nails with what you know is only affected absentmindedness because his ears are still flushed to the tips. "I tried to shut the doors on him."

You're suddenly overwhelmed by a rushing feeling of how much Tobio has taken after Hajime. It brings back nostalgic memories of a high school volleyball court and being hit on the back of the head to stop you running off with girls after practice. You fight back a smile.

"Tobio-chan, I've raised you better than that."

His face is anything but agreeing. "He caught the doors though. _And_ pressed all the floor buttons so that I was late for the meeting." He frowns deeply. "And then invited me to play volleyball with him."

That makes you blink unexpectedly. "The tiny red-head plays volleyball? I didn't take him for a libero…"

Tobio is shaking his head as soon as the word 'libero' is out of your mouth. "He's not. He says he's a middle blocker."

You start laughing at the idea of such a small person trying to block one of Hajime's spikes, and Tobio looks offended on Hinata's behalf. Oh? This is new. You stifle your laughter as best you can.

"So, have you played with him yet?" There's almost no innuendo in your tone, and you're proud of yourself for that.

Tobio doesn't appear to notice either way. He's pushing at the mug on his desk lightly with his hands, shuffling it between two positions. "No. I haven't… I haven't seen him since then."

Ok, that's _definitely_ a lie. Hinata has been in the office so much over the past month that you were considering giving him a permanent position. But then, he's mostly loitered near the main door, or delivered things to Hajime's separate office directly on behalf of Suga. Huh? Could it be possibly that the two idiots had missed each other? You wouldn't even be surprised at this point.

"Have you tried talking to him at all since then? He may not have a permanent office, but he spends a lot of time hanging out with that blond secretary on the ground floor." Kenma, you think his name is. You know from Tetsurou that he's also a setter, but he's so nondescript - excluding the dyed hair - that you often forget about his connection to volleyball. How he stands being around someone as loud as Hinata, you can't quite understand. Then again, if he's friends with Tetsurou...

Tobio flushes wildly, and you know that you've poked at something interesting. "I... I hadn't noticed." Liar.

You're about to prod at him some more, but Hajime suddenly calls you from his office. "Oikawa! Stop bothering Kageyama! I can feel how annoying you're being from here!"

You can't resist one final dig at Tobio though.

Leaning over, you whisper directly into his closest ear. "His glasses are kind of cute, don't you think?"

" _Oikawa._ "

"Sorry, Iwa-chan!" You skip away from Tobio almost eagerly, taking particular delight in how his face blossoms a dark red all the way down to his neck.

You settle down at your desk again and shuffle your copies happily. You know  _exactly_ who to go to for help with Tobio's little, red-headed problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa's POV is _so much fun_ to write. I feel like we have a good understanding of his character from the manga, so it's easy enough to get into his mindset and imagine his reactions to things.


	3. Mr Tall, Dark and Setter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you like him?"
> 
> You glance over as he looks up at you again, and you blink a few times as a very telling blush spreads up his face. "No!" His voice comes out as a squeak. "Well, I mean... yes?" The latter ending up as a question is exactly why Shouyou is stuck in this mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write as well. I'm still working on chapter four, but I'm posting this part as motivation to get the last two chapters finished. Enjoy!

"Shouyou, I don't know what you want me to say." You look up from your computer screen as the aforementioned red-head bangs his forehead against your desk. You worry for his glasses. "You should probably head back upstairs, or Suga-san will send someone looking for you."

He groans against the desk, seemingly unbothered by the frames digging into his face. "But, _Kenma_ ," he drags out your name into another groan. "What do I _do_? Everything is so _awkward_."

You poke at his red hair, and Shouyou pulls himself up straight and off where he'd collapsed on top of your mouse. You retrieve it and adjust a few more things in your document before clicking it shut. You glance up at Shouyou again, and he looks morose behind his glasses.

"You need to talk to him."

Shouyou's face crumbles. "I've _tried_." He goes back to faceplanting on the desk, so the rest of his words are muffled. "Every time I go there, I get too nervous and end up hanging around in the doorway." He looks up at you with complete helplessness. "His desk is _so far away_ from the main door. Even _Tsukishima_ 's is closer, and he dead-eyes me every time I take something to Iwaizumi-san."

You sigh softly and open a new window on the screen, typing away delicately. You feel bad for Shouyou - you really do - but you have no idea how to help. Ignoring the fact that Shouyou doesn't really know what he wants, forging new friendships  _or_ relationships is not your forte.

It's supposed to be _Shouyou's_ forte.

Seeing as Shouyou has made no move to head back upstairs, you decide to try your best anyway. "Do you like him?"

You glance over as he looks up at you again, and you blink a few times as a very telling blush spreads up his face. "No!" His voice comes out as a squeak. "Well, I mean... yes?" The latter ending up as a question is exactly why Shouyou is stuck in this mess.

"Shouyou..."

"Ack! I know, Kenma, I know!" He stands up fully from his crouch and pulls off his glasses to rub at his eyes with the palms of his hands. You'd often thought about sneaking another chair or stool from upstairs for him, but you have no doubt you would be reprimanded as you're _technically_ not supposed to have any company down here. You doubt Shouyou would sit in it anyway. He fidgets too much.

He walks to the front of your desk and starts pacing. "It's just so hard! A few weeks ago, I hated him. Genuinely  _hated_ him. I mean, I didn't really know him that before the elevator incident, but then he tried to shut those doors on me and it annoyed me  _so much_." You start typing again, but remain aware of Shouyou moving back and forth in the background. "But then, he started talking, and he seemed OK, and then it turns out he plays volleyball - he's a setter, Kenma, a  _setter_ \- and he's so _tall_ \- I bet he's  _great_ on the court - and his hair, it's so _dark_ , and- and he adjusted my glasses for me when they slipped..."

You freeze in your typing and glance at Shouyou again.  _That_ was new information. He's stopped pacing slightly to your left, and is facing the ground, fidgeting with his green tie. "Who even does that?" He mumbles to himself, but you can still hear him. He drops his tie and raises a hand to touch the rim of his glasses.

You cough and his head snaps round to you, hand falling. You resume typing rather than meet his eyes. "Well, maybe you should go and tell Mr Tall, Dark and Setter that yourself." You pretend not to notice how red his face becomes.

Shouyou is about to open his mouth to retaliate when he lets out a noise like a strangled, dying ox and rushes to duck behind your desk again. You don't even have to ask why when a familar, dark-haired man strides through the front doors and up towards the elevator.

"Kozume-san," Kageyama's greeting is rough as he passes your desk but you nod back at him politely. He's wearing a full grey suit with a dark blue tie that complements his eyes nicely. You blink a few times as you catch a flash of something next to his wrists. Is that cufflinks? He really was the polar opposite of Shouyou.

You resume typing and pretend not to hear Shouyou's panicked breathing next to your feet as Kageyama presses the button for the elevator. He steps into it when it arrives, doors closing behind him without any more excitement.

"...Shouyou." You hear his breath catch over the click-click of your keys.

"...Is he gone?"

You frown at your screen and ignore the way he meekly touches your ankle.

" _Shouyou_."

He pulls himself up so that he's peeking over the edge of your desk. After confirming that the coast is clear, he stands up fully and rubs his face harshly. "I'm sorry! I panicked!" That was pretty obvious. "I saw his reflection in the other window and hid because _I didn't know what to do_."

"Well, if it's any consolation - I don't think he saw you."

Of course, the elevator dings again at that moment, and a slightly more disheveled looking Kageyama walks out of its doors.

Shouyou freezes like a deer caught in headlights, hands frozen in place where they were rubbing his cheeks.

Kageyama doesn't seem to notice him at first, muttering, "Can't believe I forgot my -" Then he also freezes, flinching visibly at the sight of Shouyou.

You allow your eyes to dart between the two of them before pulling out your phone and replying to a text message you'd received earlier. It's from Kuro. Why, yes, you would like to meet with him for lunch. Anything to escape from the awkwardness of this particular moment in time.

It's Kageyama that breaks the silence, thank goodness, because you're almost entirely sure that Shouyou's throat has closed up with nervousness. "Hinata."

The sound of his name seems to pull Shouyou out of his daze. "K- Kageyama-kun."

You feel more than see Kageyama scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "Just Kageyama is fine."

"Kageyama then."

You start typing another rapid message to Kuro, occasionally allowing your eyes to dart up and observe the two of them. They're both just staring at each other. Shouyou was right though, compared to both you and him, Kageyama is a lot taller. His overall presence is quite menacing, and you can see why Shouyou might feel nervous in front of him. You doubt his anxiety has the same source though.

Shouyou reaches up to adjust his glasses - a nervous tick that always seems at odds with his personality - and Kageyama's eyes follow the motion. Spots of colour start blossoming on his cheeks.

"Th- tha- thanks for the coffee." He stumbles over the words slightly, and you try not to cringe outwardly in sympathy for him.

You hadn't heard anything about coffee, so you stare at Shouyou openly. His cheeks are also a deep shade of red, but the smile that appears on his face at those words makes you blink with surprise. You almost have to hold back a smile yourself. Shouyou tends to have that affect on people.

"It was no problem, Kageyama."

Your eyes dart back to the other man, and you can tell that he isn't entirely immune to Shouyou's smile either.

"Right. Good. Well, I've got to..." He starts moving towards the main doors as he speaks. "Forgot my..." He ends up wandering away without actually excusing himself, tripping over the doormat on his way out of the building.

You blink a few times with consideration, having watched Kageyama leave until he was out of sight. You turn back to Shouyou, and notice that he's done the same. The red-head is smiling softly to himself, and seems a lot more at ease than he did a few minutes ago.

"Coffee?" You can't help but ask.

Shouyou turns to you, colour returning to his cheeks, but he's all smiles. "I gave him that fancy mug Natsu got me last Easter."

You stare at him longer than necessary, and he flushes darker. "Uh huh." You go back to typing on the computer again.

He wipes a hand through his already messy hair. "Well, I felt bad. I mean, I guess I _did_ kind of hold up the elevator." He puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "And when I went downstairs to apologise to him later on, he was  _still_ in this meeting. Iwaizumi-san is  _brutal_ -"

The front doors open again with a chilly gust of air, and Kageyama walks back into the building - briefcase in hand - as Shouyou dramatically ducks beneath your desk again.

"Shouyou, you can't be serious -"

"Shut _up_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny writing from the POV of different characters in the same fic. Kenma's _so_ observant, and it was tricky to get that across without being overly-detailed. Hope you guys liked it!


	4. Hopeless, The Both of Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mmm. How on Earth did Kageyama-kun end up in sales when he's so awkward with people?" You try not to sound _too_ mean, but when you're watching both Hinata and Kageyama pointedly avoid looking at each other as they walk from opposite ends of the corridor for the fifth time this week, it's hard. "What on Earth _happened_ between them again?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short and mostly to bridge the gap slightly between the previous one and the final chapter, which I will have up by/on Kageyama's birthday (December 22nd)!

"It's kind of adorable, in its own kind of pathetic way." Tooru sounds exasperated, and you can't help but echo the emotion. You're both leaning against Tooru's desk on the ninth floor. It's lunch time, so the entire office is near enough deserted. You'd decided to meet there this time, if only because Tooru's desk just _happened_ to come with a handy view of the corridor, thanks to the open-plan setting of the office.

"Mmm. How on Earth did Kageyama-kun end up in sales when he's so awkward with people?" You try not to sound _too_ mean, but when you're watching both Hinata and Kageyama pointedly avoid looking at each other as they walk from opposite ends of the corridor for the fifth time this week, it's hard. "What on Earth _happened_ between them again?"

Tooru leans his chin on your shoulder, his steaming mug of hot chocolate all but forgotten. "Something stupid in an elevator - I'm not entirely sure." You glance down at him - a little awkward, from this angle - and he waves a hand. "Sounded like they just pissed each other off to me, but then Tobio-chan was sufficiently wishy-washy on the details of the entire event."

You laugh into your hand, and Tooru leans back, evidently pleased with himself. "Hopeless, the both of them. Feels kind of familiar though, don't you think?" You flash a smile at Tooru as he moves to sit properly on his desk, and he blushes mid-sip. "So, what did you have in mind?"

Tooru recovers quickly, brown hair perking up. "Ah, Suga-chan! You know me so well!" He sets down his mug on the desk, heedless of the stray papers covering it. "Christmas party!"

You're not as quick on the uptake. "Huh?" You don't sit next to him, preferring to remain standing, but turn to face him more directly.

"The office Christmas party!" He smiles deviously, and you almost feel sorry for Hinata and Kageyama. "We hook them up!"

Iwaizumi chooses that moment to walk in, oversized file in hand. "You two better not be scheming on my floor again." He looks pretty tired, and you can't help but feel somewhat responsible. He'd been working overtime with Daichi and Asahi for a few weeks now, trying to correct a mistake made by someone in _your_ department.

Tooru opens his mouth to say something but a quick jab to his side cuts him off. "Not at all, Iwaizumi-san! We were just talking about our plans for the holidays. Nothing that would inconvenience you in the slightest." You flash a smile at Tooru, and he cringes slightly, rubbing at his side.

"Um, yes. Nothing _devious_ in the slightest, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi makes a noise that's somewhere between a groan and a sigh. He rubs at his dark hair with his free hand. "You'll have to forgive me for not believing either of you." He drops the conversation there, and heads into his separate, smaller office space, shutting the door quietly behind him.

You both breathe out a sigh of relief. "You do realise that Iwaizumi-san will do everything in his power to keep you from bothering Kageyama, right?" You glance at Tooru, who smiles sheepishly. "Frankly, I'm surprised the two of you can even handle being in the same department together. I would have thought Iwaizumi-san would have combusted with the stress of keeping you in line by now."

"Suga-chan, you're so mean!" Tooru whines, and you grin at him. It's a familiar scenario between the two of you.

You ignore his mutterings as he runs his hands through his hair - the damn stuff  _never_ stays flat - and continue. "Did you have anything particular in mind for the party?"

Tooru goes silent and puts a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead. I only mentioned that the two of them were tease-worthy to you the other week so that you could join in on the fun." He smiles widely, and you wonder how  _any_ customer manages to trust that face.

You hum noncommittally. It's true, Tooru had came upstairs and found you as soon as he was on his break, unable to restrain himself from sharing such  _wonderful_ (in his own words) information with you. Admittedly, after he had pointed it out, it  _was_  quite enjoyable to watch Hinata try and blunder his way around Kageyama. A couple of times he'd sneaked - or, at least _believed_ he had - downstairs to talk to Kenma, and you'd allowed it simply to get his jittery presence out of the office.

It wasn't like Hinata _didn't_ come across Kageyama on a day-to-day basis, but the two were remarkably adept at avoiding each other nowadays. Kageyama had always tried his best to avoid spending any undue time around the smaller red-head during lunch breaks and the like, but you'd put that down to his own personality conflicting with Hinata's loud, bubbly demeanour. In the past few weeks, however, his avoidances had become that much more obvious and rushed, as though he didn't really know what to do with himself when Hinata was around.

On one occasion, you'd caught them stumbling their way through a conversation in the hallway on the ninth floor, and hid around the corner until they were done. Hinata had come your way, stiff-legged and awkwardly tugging at his glasses, and you'd not been able to stop yourself. You'd asked if he was feeling OK, because, wow, his face was  _red_ and maybe he should go home to rest up? Which had resulted in Hinata stammering apologies that no, he was fine and blushing all the way up to the tips of his ears.

You'd walked away grinning.

“ _Well_ , I guess it _would_ be nice if Hinata would stop twitching in his seat every time someone with dark hair walks into the office...”

Tooru jumps up excitedly. “Great! Now, we just need to make sure that they are both at the party.” He has a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’ll probably have to drag Tobio-chan there, although I have no idea what to do about -“

“Hinata will be there, don’t worry about him.” You imitate Tooru and wave your hand at him dismissively, pulling a nonchalant expression. You know he’s noticed when his eyes narrow and a sharp grin appears on his face. Then you pause, genuinely considering something. “Actually, there is something we _could_ do though.”

You explain what you’re thinking to Tooru, and his smile loses its dangerous edge only to become downright _evil_. “Oh, Suga-chan! That’s a great idea!” He hugs you close. “I knew there was a reason why you were my favourite!”

His voice carries, and you hear Iwaizumi shout from behind his closed door. “I heard that!”

Tooru grins in the direction of his office. “After you, Iwa-chan!” he calls back, his voice butterflies and sunshine, but he winks at you.

You smile gently, and extract yourself from his arms. “Yes, well, I’d better go find Hinata then. The sooner the better, really.”

You can feel Tooru’s bright eyes tracking you as you head towards the door. “Leaving so soon?”

When you glance back at him, he’s leaning against his desk again, mug of hot chocolate back in hand. You catch his eyes making their way back up to your face, and try not to flush.

Rolling your eyes, you make your way out of the doorway. “I’ll see you later, Tooru.”

You sigh under your breath. You’re starting to think that Hinata isn't the only one that needs help with intra-office relationships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can read this chapter however you want in terms of the background relationships. (The Oisuga scheming is strong in this one though.)


	5. It Suits You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shou-chan!” Oikawa’s delighted voice is a pitch above the music, and everyone turns to look as he waves at you. You can count the number of direct conversations you’ve had with Oikawa on one hand, so his greeting makes no sense to you until you notice Kageyama’s face melting into sheer horror.
> 
> Oh _shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so cheesy and wonderful, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Hope you guys like it too!
> 
> A big thanks to one of my best friends, who has been reading each chapter before I've posted them, and keeping me motivated about this AU. Wouldn't have gotten here without you!

It's not your first Christmas party at the office, but it's the first time you've felt so awkward in the presence of so many people you know.

You run a hand through your hair nervously. It's not like  _everyone_ knows by now, surely? You take a sip from your drink, tapping your foot against the floor. But, then again, Tsukishima _does_ have that look on his face that says he knows too much. And you're certain that Suga knows, based on your conversation with him a few weeks ago. And Kenma knows. Obviously.

Ok, maybe quite a few people have an idea of this weird  _thing_ that's happening between you and Kageyama.

But it's not entirely your fault. It's not like you'd been obvious about it. You'd just offered to go down to his floor whenever the opportunity presented itself. Maybe had a quick look in his office whenever you walked by. Sneaked a few glances of his back when no one was looking. Totally normal, discreet things.

You happen to look over at Iwaizumi, and he pretends that he wasn't just caught blatantly staring at you.

Gripping your plastic cup tighter, you lean back in your chair. Who are you kidding?  _Everyone_ knows.

Sighing softly, you take a look around the room. Amongst the sea of faces there are a few you recognise, but others you can't put names to. Suga is in the corner next to Daichi and Asahi, all three of them eyeing Noya and Tanaka as they loiter suspiciously around the drinks. Kageyama doesn't seem to be at the party yet, and you're not sure whether you should feel relieved or disappointed.

You'd arrived with Kenma, but he'd disappeared with Kuroo within the first couple of hours. You're not entirely sure where they went, but sometimes, with Kuroo, it's best to just not get involved.

It's at that moment that the doors fling themselves open, and Oikawa walks in with a dramatic flair, dragging Kageyama behind him by the back of his neck.

You shrink back in your seat slightly, not wanting to be noticed just yet. Kageyama is scowling something awful, and the brighter Oikawa smiles, the darker his face gets. Other than the murderous look on his face, however, he looks stunning. For once, he’s not in a suit and tie, instead dressed casually in jeans and a long coat that Oikawa fights away from him. Underneath is a dark shirt with the top few buttons undone, hinting at a well-defined chest and shoulders. The overall effect of his outfit is something that your brain struggles to process, and you try not to gape too openly.

He doesn’t seem to notice you at first, whispering something angrily to Oikawa that is drowned out by the cheery Christmas music playing in the background. Oikawa smiles and dismisses whatever Kageyama says with a flippant wave of his hand. Then he turns and locks eyes with you directly. His smile turns into a grin that has you trying to become one with the couch.

“Shou-chan!” Oikawa’s delighted voice is a pitch above the music, and everyone turns to look as he waves at you. You can count the number of direct conversations you’ve had with Oikawa on one hand, so his greeting makes no sense to you until you notice Kageyama’s face melting into sheer horror.

Oh _shit_.

Oikawa is dragging Kageyama over to you far too quickly for your liking. You’d planned to approach him on your own later, with the added courage provided by several cups of alcohol. Frantically, you sit up straighter, pushing your glasses back up your nose and flattening out imaginary creases in your clothes.

“Shou-chan!” Oikawa repeats, tone so sickly sweet and sunny it makes you flinch back slightly. “It’s been too long!”

Your eyes flicker to Kageyama, who is trapped by Oikawa’s firm grip on his wrist. He closes his eyes with a resigned expression on his face, cheeks flushed a light pink.

“Uh, yes, Oikawa-san.” What do you even say? “It’s nice to see you.”

“Oooh, I love your jumper!” Oikawa gushes, and you look down, even though you already know what you’d chosen to wear. It’s a bright and gaudy Christmas jumper decorated with tiny, jumping reindeer and holly leaves.

“Um, thank you. My sister bought it for me.”

“She has good taste.” He turns to Kageyama. “It suits him, don’t you think, Tobio-chan?”

You flush, both at the question and the casual use of Kageyama’s first name, and allow your attention to focus on him again.

Kageyama is staring at your jumper, but his eyes wander down to your jeans and back up to your face before he makes a noise of agreement. “Yeah.” You’re not entirely sure whether he focuses on your embarrassed expression or your glasses, but either way he ends up with a reciprocal blush all the way up to the tips of his ears. “You look nice.”

You end up staring at each other longer than is necessary, though you don’t notice until Oikawa clears his throat pointedly. The pleasant tingling in your stomach stops you from feeling embarrassed about it.

You notice Oikawa has finally let go of Kageyama’s arm, and his face is rife with delight. “Tobio-chan let slip that you play volleyball, Shou-chan. Are you part of a team?”

“Not really. I mean, um, I meet up with a few others to play every now and then, but we don’t have enough members to make an official team or anything.” You hadn’t realised Oikawa had an interest in volleyball too, and your interest is piqued. “Do you play, Oikawa-san?”

“Yes!” For once, his smile lightens into something less devious. He grabs Kageyama around the shoulders, ignoring how the other man leans away from him. “I’m a setter just like Tobio-chan here.”

“Oh.” You feel like you should say more, but not even volleyball is helping the conversation at this point.

“What position do you play, Shou-chan?”

You try to ignore how Kageyama eyes Oikawa pointedly after he asks that question. “Middle blocker.”

Oikawa cocks his head to one side. Kageyama is still staring at him. “That’s surprising. You’re a little on the small side to be such an integral part of the defence.”

A faint bubble of annoyance rises up in your stomach, but the words aren’t unfamiliar to you. You’ve heard it all your life. You shrug. “Well, I am.”

Oikawa smiles, and suddenly your unease is back tenfold. “I guess being small can have its own advantages.” He pulls away from Kageyama to cross his arms and twist his mouth with consideration. “I’ve seen Kageyama staring at your ass before, so I’m sure he’s thought about it too." Face warming, you glance towards Kageyama, whose face looks torn between horror and embarrassment. "At least he'll be able to lift you up easily when you have -“

“Oikawa!” Suga sweeps in out of nowhere and you’ve never felt so relieved. He places a firm hand on Oikawa's shoulder. “I didn’t know you were here yet!” His voice is bright but there’s a flaw to it, like he isn’t actually as happy as he sounds. “Stop annoying Hinata and Kageyama and come for a drink with Iwaizumi and me.”

“Hey!” Oikawa sounds affronted. “I was help-“ Suga cuts him off with a hand over his mouth.

“I’ll just take this annoyance off your hands.” Suga is still smiling as he forces Oikawa away from you and Kageyama, jabbing him in the side every so often to stop him struggling. He goes almost limp in Suga’s arms when he spots Iwaizumi’s furious face at the other side of the room.

You turn back to Kageyama, who looks about ready to punch himself in the face with frustration. “Kageyama, I -“

“Don’t.” He refuses to meet your eyes, frown deepening into regret. “Just, _don’t_.” He turns heads towards the doors, grabbing his coat on the way out.

You’re flying out of your seat as soon as you can process what just happened.

By the time you make it to the door, he’s already turning the corner. “Kageyama!” You call after him, but he ignores you and keeps walking.

You chase after him just as he makes it to the elevator, nearly pushing him over as you crash into his back.

“Wha-“ he turns back to you, biting off the confused word as he frowns. “Hinata -“

You adjust your glasses and push them back up your nose from where they’d slipped. “Don’t be embarrassed, Kageyama!” The words are pouring out of you before you can stop them. “I like you too!”

His face has the most startled expression you’ve ever seen on it, and he opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but you cut him off before he has the chance.

“I’ve liked you ever since we had that conversation in the elevator.” You can feel anxious embarrassment trying to crawl its way up your throat to strangle your vocal cords, but you force it back down. You pick at the fabric of your jumper and avoid his gaze. “I tried to come visit you a few times in your office but I got too embarrassed after I gave you that coffee mug. And that day we met again on the ground floor - I hid under Kenma’s desk twice because I felt so flustered around you." Steeling yourself, you meet his eyes again. "I like you.”

Kageyama’s eyes are wide with surprise, his cheeks coloured a deep pink. You start shuffling in place awkwardly.

“I -“ he stumbles over the words, like he can’t decide what to say. “Oikawa is- he’s- it’s not like I look at you and -" He cuts off awkwardly, but you understand what he’s trying to say.

“I know.”

He breathes out with relief, and then his face softens. There a smile on his face, only a slight one, but it warms your entire body and stops you from feeling quite so awkward about your confession.

“I like you too.” For once, Kageyama doesn't stumble over his words.

You feel your face heating up, and adjust your glasses ever so slightly. “I thought we’d already established that.” You try to bite back a grin but he scowls and narrows his eyes at you, and you end up laughing anyway.

“Oh!” The important memory comes back, thankfully, before it’s too late. “Kageyama, I need to get something - can you wait for me downstairs?” It’s pretty obvious that neither of you are going back into the party. You write your coat off as a lost cause, and hope that Kenma has the foresight to bring it home with him so you can pick it up later.

Kageyama nods in assent, his face peppered with confusion, and you dart away to the stairway, heedless of his eyes on your back. You run down the steps, jumping as many as you can to save time - screw health and safety - until you make it to the tenth floor.

The main office is thankfully unlocked, and you duck behind the desk Suga has temporarily assigned you to grab at the package you’ve had hidden there for several days.

You’re out of breath by the time you reach the ground floor, but Kageyama waiting there for you makes it worthwhile.

He has his coat on and his hands in his pockets when you arrive, but he’s soon rushing over to your side, concern on his face. “You didn’t run all the way down the stairs, did you? You’re such a -“

You’re still doubled over, but you grab the front of his shirt to make him shut up. When you finally look up, still a little breathless, Kageyama’s closer than you expected. You push the present into his face to make it less awkward. “Here!”

“Eh?” He looks baffled.

You stand up straight, and push your glasses back into place, still a little breathless. “Suga-san told me it was your birthday this week.”

Kageyama doesn’t seem to be making any move to open the bag, and is instead blinking at you stupidly. You roll your eyes and start opening it for him as he holds the bag in his arms. “I didn’t know what to get you, so I asked my sister, and…” you pull a long, blue scarf out, “…she suggested this.”

You lean up on your tiptoes to wrap the scarf around his neck several times, whilst Kageyama stands there stiffly, looking like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. His awkwardness ends up making you feel more at ease, and you smile to yourself as you smooth the front part so that it hangs down his front, hands lingering on his chest. “It suits you.”

“Th- thanks.” You look at him again, and his face is like an oversized cherry. Whether he was thanking you for the scarf or the compliment, you’re not sure. Probably both.

“Oh!” You click your fingers and pull back from him slightly, and Kageyama looks almost disappointed. “I’d almost forgotten.”

You lift up the edge of his scarf that’s hanging closest to you. “I also asked Kenma for ideas, and he said that your birthday was on the winter solstice. So I added this.” You hold up the fabric so that he can see it.

He passes the empty scarf bag to one hand and takes it from you, eyes widening with surprise. Decorating the end of the scarf are carefully hand-stitched moons in a dark blue thread. “Natsu - my sister - helped me with them, of course.” You grin sheepishly and scratch the back of your neck. “I’m not very good at sewing or stitching. The other side has matching suns, because, um, my birthday is the summer solstice.” You wave your hands in front of you. “It’s OK if you don’t like them though! I’m sure I’ll be able to pick them o-“

He takes your hand tentatively to shut you up, and you find yourself blushing and looking away. You meet his eyes, and a shiver runs up your back. The look in them is the same as that time when the elevator doors were closing on you.

Kageyama’s voice is soft when he speaks. “I got something for you too. Close your eyes.”

You swallow thickly, but comply. You can hear a faint rustling as Kageyama drops the bag from your present and digs for something in his jacket pocket.

A cool touch grazes your face, and you flinch slightly before a thumb strokes one of your cheeks. His other hand places something behind one of your ears, held in place by your glasses.

You open your eyes, and Kageyama’s hand is still on your cheek. His eyes are soft as he brings the other hand up to cup your other cheek, before leaning in slowly and pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

You’re both flushing when he pulls back. “Mistletoe,” he explains. He glances to the side briefly, colour high on his cheeks. “Oikawa gave it to me.”

Kageyama's hands linger on your face before pulling back, and you catch them with your own as they move back to his sides. Carefully and deliberately, you thread your fingers between his.

He eyes your joined hands nervously and faintly traces across your knuckles with one of his thumbs. You shiver.

"I should thank Oikawa." A sentence you never thought would leave your mouth this evening, or any time soon.

Kageyama breathes out heavily. "Let's do something together."

You blink a few times, feeling slightly thrown off. "What? Volleyball?"

He pulls a hand free from your grasp and uses it to cover up his eyes as he suddenly breaks out into a booming laugh. You admire the way it makes his mouth crinkle at the edges. "No, I meant - well, actually, yes, that too -" he lowers his hand, "but I meant together. Just the two of us. A date."

"Oh." Yeah, that makes more sense. You feel a blush creeping up the back of your neck and let him have the full brightness of your smile. "I'd love to." Part of you is almost disappointed about the lack of volleyball though. You stroke a thumb over the back of his remaining hand, wondering what those hands would be capable of on the court.

"Are you free on Christmas Eve?" After all of his previous bravery, Kageyama's voice still manages to tremble with nervousness. The thought makes you grin even more.

"Yes," you tell him, and his answering smile warms your heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has followed this fic to the end. It was really fun to write and I fell in love with this AU along the way.
> 
> I have at least one sequel fic planned for this AU (their first date, anyone?), so feel free to subscribe to my username or the series if you're interested in seeing more! ~~I may or may not have written part of it already.~~
> 
> Oh, and if anyone wants to send me any prompts/headcanons/etc., you can find me on [Tumblr](http://dragonshuntaswolves.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wolveshvnokings).
> 
>  ~~Happy birthday, Tobio.~~ Have a great Christmas, everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> After I wrote this part this fic kind of became its own fully-fledged AU with multiple character viewpoints centring around our two favourite idiots. I'm posting the first part at the moment because I want to let you guys have a peek, but I still need to finish the rest. The other chapters will be from other character's POVs, ending with Hinata's in the final part.


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